ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

A Wallace State Tradition

Wallace State’s athletic teams and facilities are renowned throughout the Southeast and the nation. The Wallace State Lions compete in Division I of the Alabama Community College Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association. With four Olympic medalists, seven national championships, a plethora of conference titles, hundreds of NJCAA All-Americans, three current MLB players, two former PGA tour pros, and one former NFL player, athletic excellence is a Wallace State tradition.

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Wallace State coaches are not only among the nation’s best, but they also take great pride in the academic success of their athletes. Special tutoring and study sessions are available for all athletes to ensure excellence in academics as well as athletics. Wallace State teams are recognized among the top teams academically by the NJCAA, and many student-athletes receive NJCAA Academic distinction honors each year.

The athletic facilities at Wallace State are among the best in the nation and truly impressive. Tom Drake Coliseum is one of the largest two-year college basketball and volleyball facilities in the United States. It received a floor upgrade during the summer of 2012 and seats more than 5,000. The college’s baseball and softball and facilities are also among the finest in the South. Wallace State baseball plays at James C. Bailey Stadium and softball and Bobby McCracken Stadium.

Wallace State athletics had another championship chapter added to its tradition during the 2015-16 academic year. Wallace State had three teams (volleyball, softball and golf) crowned conference champions and women’s basketball finish as the ACCC runner-up.

Wallace State’s volleyball team got the 2015-16 athletics campaign off to a flying start by capturing their seventh consecutive ACCC/Region 22 conference tournament title and eighth straight regular season championship under the leadership of coach Randy Daniel. The Lions, who finished 39-8, also advanced to the NJCAA Division I national tournament for the seventh year in a row and 15th time overall. The Lions were led individually by Cidavia Hall, who was named a NJCAA 2nd-team All-American, the ACCC Player of the Year and earned NJCAA Player of the Week honors in September 2015. Fellow sophomores Kheala Roberts and Alexandra Gamble were each 1st-team All-ACCC/Region 22 and All-Tournament selections and freshmen Kelsea Bivins, August Newberry and Cierra Davis were all 2nd-team All-ACCC selections.

Wallace State’s basketball teams kept the momentum going. The Wallace State men’s basketball team finished with a 26-6 record and as the ACCC regular season champions for second time in three seasons. The Lions earned a No. 1 seed at the conference tournament after closing the regular season by winning 17 of 20 games. Sophomore Marcus Barham was an All-ACCC/Region 22 2nd-team selection, while Immanuel King and Derylton Hill each earned a spot on the ACCC North Division 2nd team. Sophomores Xavier Mills and Kylen Butler were ACCC All-Tournament selections. The Wallace State men also became the first NJCAA team to compete on foreign soil during a November 2015 trip to the Dominican Republic.

Featuring a rebuilt squad with only one sophomore, Wallace State’s women’s basketball team made its fifth consecutive postseason appearance under coach Ron Burdette and finished as the ACCC Tournament runner-up for the second consecutive season and for the fourth time in five seasons. Sophomore Hannah Vest and freshmen Kelsey Houston and Velencia Johnson were all named to the 2016 All-Tournament team.

Wallace State’s softball team once again finished atop the conference in 2016. The Lady Lions went 49-22, captured their 10th conference title, made their fourth NJCAA Division I national tournament appearance in five seasons and 10th overall in St. George, Utah. Wallace State softball, a two-time national champion, also had strong individual performances in 2016, including from freshman infielder Taylor Beshears, who was named a NJCAA 3rd-team All-American, the 2016 ACCC North Division Player of the Year and was named to the ACCC All-Tournament team. Wallace State catcher Molli Garcia was named to the All-ACCC/Region 22 1st-battery team, sophomore Shelby Brown was an ACCC/Region 22 2nd-team infield selection and freshman outfielder Amber Hammonds was named to the ACCC/Region 22 2nd-team outfield and ACCC North 1st-team outfield. Sophomore Julia Dailey was named the conference tournament MVP and Garcia, Beshears and Sarah Ellen Battles were all named to the ACCC All-Tournament team. Interim coach Jeff Benson was named the 2016 ACCC Coach of the Year.

Meanwhile, Wallace State’s baseball team made its 25th postseason appearance in 27 years under coach Randy Putman. The Lions finished 34-25 and advanced to the ACCC/Region 22 tournament quarterfinals in Ozark. Wallace State had sophomores Stephen Dobbs, Turner Vincent and Garrett Suchey each receive 2016 Southeastern District/ACCC-Region 22 recognition. The Lions had Suchey, Will Eiland, Jesse Scott and Blake Schilleci each log more than 50 innings and finish with an ERA under 3.30. Wallace State baseball also continued to have three former players with MLB organizations in 2016: Craig Kimbrel with the Boston Red Sox, Derek Holland with the Texas Rangers and Jake Elmore with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Wallace State’s golf team capped the athletics year with another successful postseason. Two seasons after being the national runner-up, the Lions finished 9th at the NJCAA Division I national tournament in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Wallace State also captured its 3rd consecutive ACCC title and 13th overall under NJCAA Hall of Fame coach Dan York, who was named the 2016 ACCC Coach of the Year. Sylas Elliott put together another memorable season with Wallace State. He finished 8th in the nation individually and was named a NJCAA PING 1st-team All-American. Elliott was also the low medalist in the ACCC/Region 22 tournament for the second year in a row. Fellow sophomore Eli Marty was named a NJCAA PING honorable mention All-American. Marty was the low medalist at the NJCAA District 4 Championship in April and was named to the ACCC/Region 22 All-Tournament team.

Wallace State’s women’s golf team debuted during the 2015-16 season and finished 12th nationally after competing in five spring tournaments.

Wallace State also announced it will reintroduce its men’s and women’s tennis teams beginning with the Fall 2016 semester. Before the tennis programs were discontinued in 2004, they accounted for four of the seven NJCAA national titles earned by Wallace State athletics and won multiple conference championships. The men’s program won NJCAA Division II titles in 1995 and 1996 and the women in 1995 and 1999.

Additionally, the WSCC Cheerleaders enjoyed a 3rd-place finish last season at the 2016 UCA competition.